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Rachel Bailey, RETURN OF THE SECRET HEIR and a Giveaway!

Today we have Harlequin Desire author Rachel Bailey with us and she's also got a book for you!

But before we give over to her...a reminder! My Blog's sidebars on both sides have links to follow KATE WALKER and CHRISTINA HOLLIS blog tours for MEGA GIVEAWAYS! Follow and Comment for giveaways and to go in the Grand Prize Draw!

So over to Rachel now....

What Did You Want To Be When You Grew Up?

I always find it interesting to know what people wanted to be when they were young and what they ended up doing for a living. And, to me, it’s equally fascinating to find out the same for characters.

For example, the heroine in my October release, Return of the Secret Heir, Pia Baxter, wanted to be a fashion designer when she was a teenager, but she eventually caved into expectations and became a lawyer. In the process, she also repressed the creative, free-spirited part of herself.

At one point in the book, the hero, JT, realises that Pia hasn’t totally eradicated her creativity – she makes hats for herself. She sees it as a ‘practical solution to a problem’ since she has a hard head to fit, but JT sees through that and understands it better than she does herself. He even buys her some supplies:

Her violet eyes glistened. "That was thoughtful. Thank you." She peeped into the second bag. "You came home early just for this?"

"Pretty much." He walked in and slipped his arms from his jacket.

At one end of the dining table Pia had legal documents in piles and at the other end was a pea green creation with a wide brim. Seemingly unable to help herself, she was drawing a roll of snowy white ribbon from the bag he'd brought and was holding it against the hat.

"The woman in the shop said it was a versatile ribbon," he offered. He'd been unsure how versatile ribbon could be, but he'd taken her word for it.

"It's double-faced satin. There are a few things I could do with it." She looped it around a few fingers and it became a flower which she held against the hat again, judging its effect. She'd always been able to do that—transform rudimentary materials into a work of art. Dresses, jewelry, shawls, whatever she tried.

Among her family of hard, dull stones, she'd been a polished ruby, bright and dazzling. And the pull of that luminescence had been stronger than a siren's call for a hard-edged boy from the wrong side of the tracks.

"Why did you give up dreams of fashion design, Pia?" he asked, moving behind her.

She turned, her startled eyes meeting his, and he glimpsed endless depths of sadness. His chest constricted at being confronted by that bleakness in eyes he'd seen shine with passion and joy.

Then she blinked it away and methodically packed the ribbon into the bag it'd come in. "I grew up."

And the hero, JT Hartley thought he’d become a mechanic - when he was a teenager he built his own motorbike from scrap parts, but he ended up making millions in property development. When he was young, his mother had regularly moved him from town to town and he never really felt he had roots. So, even though he didn’t really choose this path on purpose, he’s created a way to make sure he always has lots and lots of properties. Stability and security.

When Pia asks him why he’s challenging the will of Warner Bramson, the man JT believes was his biological father, JT gives some insights into how he ended up on this career path:

"Assuming Warner was your father," she said carefully, and he almost smiled at her attempt to stay in her impartial role, "it's impossible to justify that all the time your mother was struggling, your father was a billionaire."

He'd spent several weeks being consumed by anger over that exact point. His mother had worked a succession of menial jobs to pay the rent, to ensure he had clothes to wear to school, never having new things herself, never feeling safe. All while Warner Bramson's wife and his long-term mistress lived the high life, not needing to work, yet having jewels, the latest fashions, luxuries beyond belief. The injustice of it ate into his gut.

He set his shoulders. "That's why I have to challenge. For her."

"But you're doing well now? Surely she's stable?"

It'd been soon after Pia had abandoned him that he and his mother's boss had bought a rundown house together—because he was in real estate, Old Jack had been the eyes and the money, and JT had been the brawn and the spare time. He'd fixed up the place under Old Jack's directions and they'd given it to his mother.

He'd always suspected Old Jack was sweet on his mother, but being an employee, she'd been off limits.

Then they'd bought another run-down house and sold the finished product, then another. They'd avoided the real estate crash through Old Jack's foresight and continued. He'd ended up in property development more by a random chain of events than design, but it was a good career built on solid, secure investments.

His mother now lived in the most expensive house he could talk her into, and had a regular monthly income that saw her well taken care of.

But that wasn't the point.

"This isn't about the money," he said, wanting Pia to understand this point if nothing else. "The injustice of her life needs to be redressed. She lost so much for me to have life, the least I can do is see her receive what she deserves." She needed to be acknowledged by the family whose patriarch had dismissed her like a dirty rag.

So, tell me, what did you want to be when you grew up? And what did you end up being? Which job do you think suits / would have suited you better?

Rachel Bailey developed a serious book addiction at a young age (via Peter Rabbit and Jemima Puddle-Duck) and has never recovered. Just how she likes it. She went on to gain degrees in psychology and social work but is now living her dream—writing romance for a living.

She lives on a piece of paradise on Australia’s east coast with her hero and four dogs, and loves to sit with a dog or two, overlooking the trees and read books from her ever-growing to-be-read pile.

He's returned for a fortune and is confronted by memories. Though tycoon JT Hartley is a success in his own right, he's set on claiming his share of his late father's legacy. But first he has to get past the estate executor - none other than Pia Baxter, a woman he's never forgotten.

Theirs had been a fast-and-furious union that ended all too suddenly. And though desire still courses between them, JT knows starting anything with Pia again is just asking for trouble. His future is set in stone. But even the best-laid plans are no match for true passion.

Hi Nas! Hi Rachel! This looks intriguing. Love the cover too. Makes me want to read it. Lovely interview. Like Deniz, I always wanted to be a writer, but I had other careers as well (such as an English/History teacher) which have only helped my writing.

Lynda, I wanted to be a pianist too! Sadly I'm dreadful at playing the piano, but that's the great thing about being a writer... JT's half brother, Seth, has his story in Million-Dollar Amnesia Scandal, and his heroine is a jazz pianist and singer. I lived vicariously through April for the whole book. ;)

How fascinating, Rachel, that you used the angle of what your heroine and hero wanted to be when they grew up vs. the careers they wound up having in an attempt to cope with the issues in their past. Luckily the two saw past the career facades into one another's souls.

It's amazing where you end up in life. I wanted to be a vet and keep on writing and ended up being a retail business owner and writer. Now I'm going where I never thought I would - in 2012 I'm going for a Ba. in Criminology. Go figure!

Thank you for a lovely read. I've added the whole series to my order list and can't wait to read them.

Growing up, all I wanted to be was one of Charlie's Angels or one of the Avengers. But real life intervened and I ended up more like Knightrider working with cars. Sadly no David Hasselhoff or Kitt in sight ...

I think it's funnny what our parents want us to be. My mother wanted to be a pianist. But when she bought an organ, I had to take the lessons. Well, one lesson. I sucked. I wish I had listened to my heart earlier and started writing long before I did. But, better late the never!Rachel, I *love* this book. Got four and a half stars from Romantic Times, didn't it? Smart people =)

Robyn, yes! I've seen so many people who had lessons in what their parents wanted to learn. My eldest sister had ballet lessons because my mother wasn't allowed to when she was a kid. Sister desperately wanted to have horse riding lessons. She now has her own horse though. :)

Thanks for the kind words about the book. Those 4.5 stars were a fabulous surprise!

Fabulous interview Rachel.Am looking forward to reading JT and Pia's story. When I was young I wanted to be a professional equestrian and ride my horse in the Olympics :)Never quite made it. I also wanted to be a writer - so one out of two ain't bad :)Great post.

Hi Rachel, Congrats on the latest release!I was the typical change my mind but some things I did want to be was hairdresser, beautician, actress, spaceship pilot, full time reader, and also be like those who were older than me that seemed so elegant. LOL!

What I ended up being was a librarian, so not too far of the books, though I worked in specialist company and government libraries. So no fiction for me. But my creativity kept bugging me and so writer and now designer are part of what I do.

Helen, that's quite a list! Being a librarian is something I still think about with dreamy eyes. In fact, I have a heroine in an unpublished manuscript who works in a library... might have to look at that one again. :)

Rach I totally LOVED those little scenes from your book! You've so clearly shown their personality and a good piece of their dreams =)

You know I never really knew what I wanted to be! It drove me crazy that all my friends had wonderful goals while I scratched my head, vacillating from one job idea to another. But I HAD always been a book worm, so it was probably a natural progression to writer. (mind you I did see a careers counselor who dismissed my writing idea)

Hi Nas, Hi Rachel.Your excerpts are well written and wrap the reader up in this world you've created for your characters. As for me, I am an artist. However my family is very scientific, nursing and other such things. They too dictated a different path for me. But now, I am a writer. Yeah!Nancy

Nancy, isn't it funny how some families have lots of people who are similar then one who stands out?

My mother is an artist and she's done a little (unpublished) writing - I always find her descriptive passages fascinating. She sees the world with an artist's eye and will describe things in a way that would never occur to me. I bet your writing is as fascinating!

Hi, JL. I love that cover too! When my editor first sent it to me, I couldn't stop grinning. And I've seen a sneak peek at my Feb '12 cover and I love it even more! I've been very blessed by the cover fairies. :)

Rachel, what you wrote in your response further bears out Kate Walker's advice in her 12-point guide to writing--characters, conflict and emotions first, then let that plot flow naturally as a result. :)

Nas and Rachel, What a wonderful life, living in such a beauty spot and writing. If we don't always end up where we thought we should be, it's got to be where we were meant to be. Best wishes on your writing career.

Hi Serena! Thanks for the sweet words. =) I think I've said a few times already, but I love that cover too. They have Pia's lovely red hair, the blue dress she wore to the gardens, and the hat beside her knees is important to the story too. Their attention to detail was fabulous.